


Messy Swirl

by whiteraven1606



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Drugs, Emotional Discovery, Empathy, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-17
Updated: 2011-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-19 12:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteraven1606/pseuds/whiteraven1606
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock is drugged and gains empathic ability.</p><p>Written for the Five Acts on LJ for Beggar-always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Messy Swirl

John supposed they should be happy that Sherlock had been recovered before he was killed as the other victims had been. As Sherlock batted at Lestrade's hands attempting to help him up, John wasn’t certain they were going to be happy any time soon.

“Get away from me.” Sherlock wrists were still tied and he was hampered in his attempts to hit everyone as the length of chain from his wrists to the wall near him was fairly short. John pushed past Lestrade and tried to get Sherlock to focus.

“Sherlock.” John stilled as Sherlock jerked away.

“Stop.” Sherlock blinked several times and then started edging away from everyone as far as his chains allowed. “Please, John.”

That brought John up short. Sherlock was never one for asking. “Alright, Sherlock.” Turning to tell Lestrade to get everyone out, he found they were already clearing the room.

John cast about for a key to the locks on Sherlock’s cuffs. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“It was a drug, John.”

Moving back to Sherlock’s side, John stopped before he got close enough to make Sherlock pull back. “Do you know what drug?”

Sherlock blinked again and sagged against the wall behind him. “Like nothing I’ve ever seen.” He reached out with his bound hands and touched John’s shoulder. “You worry so much.”

It was John’s turn to blink. “Right.” He rattled Sherlock’s chain. “Did you see where the key was put?”

****

John allowed Sherlock to sprawl across him as they sat on the couch. John kept a hand near Sherlock’s pulse point and ignored the mutters coming from Sherlock. He was happy the man had finally fallen asleep, even if it was across John’s lap.

The yelling when they’d been met by Ms. Hudson downstairs had been alarming, even for Sherlock. John hadn’t even attempted to get Sherlock to get to hospital. It wasn’t worth the effort. Instead he’d hovered until Sherlock had simply dropped to sit on the couch. John was just happy that Sherlock was still alive.

Sherlock jerked and opened his eyes to stare up at John. “You feel so strongly, John.”

“What?”

Rubbing at his temple, Sherlock sat up. “I can feel it.” He glanced at John from the corner of his eye. “It was so jumbled before.”

“You can feel what, Sherlock?”

Sherlock jumped up and stoped short several steps from the couch. “Distance doesn’t seem to matter with you. How odd.”

“What?” John stood and followed Sherlock into the kitchen. “What are you on about?”

Sherlock turned and clasped John’s left shoulder gently, which bothered John because he was never gentle unless John was hurt. “I can’t return your feelings, John. I’m sorry.”

Staring at Sherlock, because John thought he’d finally gone crazy, John opened his mouth to ask again, but stopped.

Sherlock turned and headed up the stairs. Shaking his head, John followed.

“Sherlock, please tell me what’s going on.” John stood in the doorway to his bedroom and watched Sherlock strip methodically. “Wait. Stop, Sherlock. What are you doing?”

“I thought that should be quite obvious, John.” Sherlock turned down the covers of John’s bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. He lifted his face towards John and smiled that tiny smile of his. “Come to bed.”

“Sherlock, if the drug in your system is causing you to think...”

Sherlock flopped back onto John’s bed. “Stupid.”

John sighed and moved forward to sit next to Sherlock’s knees. “Assume I just spent 37 hours non-stop looking for you with Lestrade. So quit thinking I’m in a mood to try to keep up with you and just tell me what’s going on.”

“I can feel your emotions.” Sherlock looked at him and then back at the ceiling. “I could feel everyone. Even Donavon. It...hurt.”

John shifted his head to look more squarely at Sherlock. “I’m hurting you now?”

Sherlock pressed his palms together in front of his chest. “No, not when it is only you.”

“Good. That’s good.” John laid down beside Sherlock. “Why did you think I needed you naked, Sherlock?”

“You have this swirl of...something.”

John touched Sherlock’s wrist as he started waving his hands in his frustration to come up with a word. “Love.”

Sherlock snorted. “Yes, that could be the right word.”

“Doesn’t explain this.”

“Of course it does.”

John was fighting his body trying to fall asleep. “No, not really.”

Sherlock propped himself up on his elbow. “Isn’t sex required with love?”

Shaking his head, John pulled on Sherlock’s arm to collapse him back down onto the bed. “I’ll explain it later. I’m going to sleep now.”

“This is contentment you’re feeling? It’s making a knot in my chest.”

“Shut up, Sherlock.”

****

John woke to find Sherlock had wrapped around him while they slept. “Sherlock.”

Sherlock opened his eyes and looked around before pulling back from his hold on John. “Ah.” He blinked. “The drug appears to have worn off.”

“Not feeling my emotions now?”

Sherlock frowned. “No.” He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “That messy swirl...was it actually love?”

John rubbed his eyes. “You know what that was, Sherlock.”

“No.” He bounced his head off the mattress. “I didn’t have a word for that.” He sat up. “You didn’t care.”

John sighed. “What?”

“About sex. You didn’t care when I took my clothes off.”

“Oh.” John sat up and pulled on Sherlock until he rested his head on Sherlock’s chest. “I cared. I just was focused on the why because you never...”

“I have a word for it now.” Sherlock snaked his hand across John’s stomach. “For my swirl of emotions.”

John smiled. “Go back to sleep, Sherlock.”


End file.
